Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara has pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud after admitting to stealing nearly $17 million from the superstar in order to pay off debts incurred from illegal sports betting.
Mizuhara faces up to 33 years in prison and must pay off his debts to Ohtani. He has also been ordered to pay roughly $1 million to the IRS as a result of the findings.
Mizuhara lost over $40 million by wagering on soccer, basketball and other sports unrelated to baseball.
Initially, Ohtani had been implicated in the scheme after a federal investigation into an illegal bookmaker found wires from Ohtani's bank account. But these financial transactions were all orchestrated by Mizuhara, unbeknownst to Ohtani, prosecutors said.
Federal prosecutor Jeff Mitchell told the court that Mizuhara was hired as an interpreter for an MLB player who didn't speak English and served as a conduit between him and his financial advisors, who did not speak Japanese.
In 2018, Mitchell told the court, Mizuhara helped the player open a bank account in Phoenix to deposit payroll and he received the login information for the account.
The prosecutor said that Mizuhara then changed the account information to update his phone number and email so communication would be routed to the interpreter instead of the player. Then, using that account, Mizuhara wire transferred the money he had lost gambling.
Mizuhara hadn't just been interpreter to Ohtani — he was a crucial member of his entourage. Mizuhara would drive him to and from games, provide advice on career decisions and serve as his main point of contact throughout the baseball season. Mizuhara — who grew up in neighboring Diamond Bar — would even sometimes cook meals for Ohtani.
Mizuhara and Ohtani’s relationship dates back to when the two-way star was 18-years-old as a rookie in Japan and blossomed into a nearly 12-year partnership.
When Ohtani decided to make the leap to MLB, he made it clear that Mizuhara be a part of his transition.
Now, Mizuhara faces potential prison time.
Meanwhile, Ohtani is having one of his best seasons in MLB at the plate after he signed a North American record 10-year, $700 million contract. He is currently among the league leaders in batting average, on base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, homers and OPS+.
The two-way superstar is sidelined from the mound this season after undergoing elbow surgery in the offseason. The plan is to get him back to both a pitcher and hitter in the 2025 season.
